Residents of Mahakar and others in Gaya are worried about the fate of various projects announced by chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi in light of the political instability in the state.
Jhuna Singh, a resident of Mahakar - a village 35km from Gaya town that Manjhi hails from - said: 'We are apprehensive that the projects would take a nosedive. It will be a setback for residents of Mahakar as well as the entire Gaya district.'
Manjhi has showered many a project on the Gaya region. Few in the region could have dreamts of such largesse before he became chief minister in May last year.
Manjhi's biggest 'gift' for the region can well be the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) in Bodhgaya. Manjhi has been supporting IIM-Bihar in Gaya although the Centre stresses for the same in Patna. It is only due to Manjhi's personal interest that the IIM is likely to come up on the Magadh University campus.
On January 29, a central team led by Union higher education additional secretary Amarjeet Sinha, IIM-Indore director Rishikesh Krishna and IIM-Ahmedabad professor Siddhartha Sinha visited the campus to assess infrastructure. The same team visited Bihta near Patna on January 28 and reportedly preferred Magadh University. If the IIM gets a final nod in Bodhgaya, it is likely to get a Rs 500 crore package for campus development. The grant includes Rs 270 crore - 30 per cent of the total Rs 900 crore budget for setting up the IIM. State higher education department has also assured Rs 120 crore to the university.
He has announced a project, 'Falgu front corridor', which, when completed, would retain water in the Falgu - a subterranean river where water is available only during the rainy season. It is a Rs 100-crore project, for which detailed project report (DPR) is being prepared after an agency conducted a survey last year. According to the project, a dam (bear dam) will be made near Bitho Sharif, around 5km north of Gaya. A pathway from Bitho to Bodhgaya (around 17km) will be made on both sides of the Falgu.
Manjhi announced ropeway on four hills in Gaya - Ramshila, Pretshila, Brahmayoni and Dhungeshwari. Following his initiative, the state government has sent a proposal to Indian Railways for construction of an overbridge at Bageshwari railway crossing in Gaya town. The road through this railway crossing leads to Gaya-Patna road. As the railway crossing falls on the busy Gaya-Dhanbad tracks, it remains closed most of time causing communication problem.
He has also initiated steps for facility of the Manpur Patwa Toli, the powerloom textile industry. Prem Narayan of Patwa Toli said: 'It is due to Manjhi ji that the government paid Rs 68 lakh so that subsidised power supply can be made available to the weavers.' Manjhi also directed to industry commissioner to install modern equipment at the state dyeing centre and start high-tech training centre for the weavers of Patwa Toli where labour hostel and textile park have also been approved.
Manjhi has started projects like high school, model police station, power sub-station, community health clinic, animal husbandry clinic, community hall and milk chilling centre at his native village Mahakar.
Buildings of high school and the office of power sub-station are ready, while work on construction of the community centre, model police station and the milk chilling centre is in progress.
